[Update] Details From Comic Con's Mass Effect Panel

Update: Along with the details outlined below, there were a few other details resulting from Comic Con's Mass Effect panel. BioWare confirmed the player character will be human and not one of the many races featured in the game's universe and it's possible the game could occur during Shepard's lifetime. BioWare has confirmed previously, however, that the new Mass Effect will have no connection to Shepard.

Exploration will apparently serve a much larger role throughout the game, and the Mako, has re-emerged as an important component of the game, though we will have to wait and see how much.

BioWare said that everything shown during the panel has the potential to change before the game's release, which is likely still years away.

Original story:

BioWare's San Diego Comic Con panel "Charting a Course: Developing the Next Mass Effect" is underway, and a few details have trickled out onto Twitter. The panelists are a mix of developers from Bioware's Edmonton and Montreal Studios. Carl Boulay (lead animator), Mike Gamble (producer), Noel Lukasewich (senior artist), Fabrice Condominas (producer), and Jessica Merizan (community manager) are giving fans in attendance a few new details, including a first look at the new Mako in action.

Twitter user Nerd Appropriate, snapped a few shots during the panel (pictured above and below) which show the Mako and various angles of the new N7 armor. Twitter user SuperNerdMe also snapped a shot of male and female hero models (which you can see below).

Game Informer's Kyle Hilliard is at Comic Con, and will give his report on the panel later, should anything news worthy come from it.